MUSLIM fundamentalist and conservative groups are groaning audibly as pink dolls, heartshaped gifts, toys and roses have been snapped up by the nation's youth, who are celebrating today Saint Valentine's Day. The phenomenal popularity in Egypt of this commercialised religious feast began about a decade ago, corresponding to the online invasion of Western cultures and lifestyles. St Valentine's Day is particularly popular among moderate Egyptian boys and girls from affluent families. Bishop Valentine of Terni in Umbria, Italy, was martyred in c. AD 273 for allegedly ignoring the Roman Emperor's orders and secretly blessing the marriages of Roman soldiers to their lovers. His feast is celebrated on February 14, the day when birds are traditionally thought to begin mating. The owners of local shops, supermarkets and hyper markets love this feast, as they make a lot of money selling tacky gifts to starry-eyed teenagers. Indeed, it's not just youngsters who splash out today, but also newly married couples and even middle-aged people who also love buying presents for their loved ones on this occasion. Many lovers are gripped by economic hardships; so they tend to make their purchases from pavement vendors in downtown Cairo, who sell cheap keepsakes and gifts, which everybody can afford. A lot of these goods are imported from Asia, especially China. Meanwhile, Egypt's florists are also rubbing their hands with glee. The fact that we're now in the mid-year academic means that schoolboys and male undergraduates have more time to buy lots of pretty flowers for their sweethearts. “Our sales in February are bigger than in any other month of the year,” says Mahmoud, a florist who works in New Helmia, a district of southern Cairo. “It's a very busy time for us and our suppliers.” But, according to the downtown florist, married people prefer to buy their spouses other gifts, such as make-up items, watches, expensive dresses or suits, perfumes and gold rings. “Married couples, especially middleaged ones, think it's silly to buy each other flowers,” Mahmoud, the florist, claims. However, it seems that Egyptian couples shouldn't just get romantic on February 14, according to professor Mohamed Khattab of the Psychology Department at Ain Shams University in Cairo, who is apparently unaware that at least 40 per cent of Egyptians live on less than $2 a day. “Couples should exchange gifts and romantic sentiments regularly, as this will have a positive influence on society,” he said, adding that it was psychologically damaging for people to express their romantic feelings just once a year.
